Improvement in horse-rakes



UNITED STATES PATENT EETCE.

B. MELLINGER, S. MELLINGER, JR., AND J. MELLINGER, 0F MOUNT PLEASANT,PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT iN HORSE-RAKES.

Specitication forming vpart of Letters Patent No. 38.961, dated November1S, 1862.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, B.MELLTNGE.R, S. MEL- LINGER, J r., and J.MELLTNGER, all of Mount Pleasant, in the county of Westmoreland andStateofPennsylvania, haveinventeda newaud improved Horse-Rake; and we dohereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact descriptionofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in wliich- Figure l represents alongitudinal vertical section ot' our invention, the line a: m, Fig. 2,indicating the plane ot' section. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of thesame.

Similar letters of reference in both views indicate correspon dingparts.

The object of this invention is to obtain a simple and etticienthorse-rake, which may he constructed at a small cost and by any one of.ordinary ability familiar with mechanics7 tools,

and at the same time be capable of being operatedthat is to say, haveits teeth raised and lowered for the purpose of discharging the load andadjusting them again iu proper working position with the greatestfacility.

Our present invention is intended as animprovement on a horse-rake onwhich a patent has been granted to us, May 13, 1862; and it consists inthe arrangement of a doublefarmed lever, in combination with the axle towhich the raketeeth are secured and with a clearer suspended by means ofstaples from said raketeeth in such a manner that by the action of saidlever the rake-teeth can be raised,and at the same time the clearer ismade to slide out toward the points of said teeth whenever it is desiredto discharge the load gathered up by them. Y

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use our invention, wewill proceed to delever connects by a rod,f, with acurved or angulararm, g, which is firmly inserted into the axle A in such a positionthat. by exerting on the rod j'a strain in the direction of the arrowmarked upon it in Fig.l the axle is turned and brought in the positionshown in red outline in the same figure. The upper arm of the handleverE connects by a rod, h, with the clearer F, Which is constructed of abar ot' wood or other suitable material suspended by means ot' staplest' from the rake-teeth G. These teeth are made of metal wire, and theyare inserted into the axle A inthe usual manner, and strengthened intheir positions by a notched bar, j, passing through and attached to theseveral coils formed at the upper extremities of said teeth.

H is the draftbar,which is secured to a curved loop or clevis, k,secured directly to the axleA, as described in our Letters Patentmentioned above.

The operation of this horse-rakeis as follows; The rake is drawn overthe eld, and by the strain of the draft-bar H on the clevis k the teethG are held down on the ground, so that they readily gather up hay orstraw or whatever substance it may be intended to collect.Duringthisoperation the hand-leverE assumes the position shown in blackoutlines iu Fig. l. If it is desired to discharge the load gathered upby the teeth, the lever E is turned back to the position shown in redoutlines in the same figure, and by this motion and by theaction of theconnecting-rods f h the teeth' are raised and at the same time theclearer F is pushed out close to the points of the teeth, and therebythe operation ot' discharging the load that may have been gathered up bythe teeth is considerably facilitated, and not a particle ot' grass,hay, or other substance constituting said load is allowed to remain onor between the same. After the teeth have thus been cleared the le ver Eis turnedv back to its original position, and by this action the teethare turned down again, so that their points bear ou the ground, and theoperation ot' rakingis proceededrwith the saine as before. Thus by thissimple arrangement it will be seen that the teeth may be raised andlowered with the greatest facility, and also the clearer or bar F, bothbeing moved simultaneously and without the aid ot' any special deviceother than the lever E.

This invention may be constructed atasinall the axle A, rake-teeth G,and clearer F, all cost. An axle and Wheels of an ordinary oldconstructed and operating as and for the purvehicle will admit of beingreadily converted pose. shown and described.

into a rake like the one described. B. MELLINGER.

Having` thus fully described our invention, S. MELLINGER, JR. what Weclaim as new, and desire to secure by J. MELLINGER. Letters Patent, is-Witnesses:

The arrangement of the double-armed lever JAMES ARMEL, E andeonnectiiig-rodsfh,in combination with l JOHN WEITZEL.

